The Habits of Successful People: They Start Before They Feel Ready

In 1966, a dyslexic sixteen-year-old boy dropped out of school. With the help of a friend, he started a magazine for students and made money by selling advertisements to local businesses. With only a little bit of money to get started, he ran the operation out of the crypt inside a local church.

Four years later, he was looking for ways to grow his small magazine and started selling mail order records to the students who bought the magazine. The records sold well enough that he built his first record store the next year. After two years of selling records, he decided to open his own record label and recording studio.

He rented the recording studio out to local artists, including one named Mike Oldfield. In that small recording studio, Oldfield created his hit song, Tubular Bells, which became the record label’s first release. The song went on to sell over 5 million copies.

Over the next decade, the young boy grew his record label by adding bands like the Sex Pistols, Culture Club, and the Rolling Stones. Along the way, he continued starting companies: an airline business, then trains, then mobile phones, and on and on. Almost 50 years later, there were over 400 companies under his direction.

Today, that young boy who dropped out of school and kept starting things despite his inexperience and lack of knowledge is a billionaire. His name is Sir Richard Branson.

How I Met Sir Richard Branson

Two weeks ago, I walked into a conference room in Moscow, Russia and sat down ten feet from Branson. There were 100 other people around us, but it felt like we were having a conversation in my living room. He was smiling and laughing. His answers seemed unrehearsed and genuine.

At one point, he told the story of how he started Virgin Airlines, a tale that seems to capture his entire approach to business and life. Here’s the version he told us, as best I can remember it:

I was in my late twenties, so I had a business, but nobody knew who I was at the time. I was headed to the Virgin Islands and I had a very pretty girl waiting for me, so I was, umm, determined to get there on time.

At the airport, my final flight to the Virgin Islands was cancelled because of maintenance or something. It was the last flight out that night. I thought this was ridiculous, so I went and chartered a private airplane to take me to the Virgin Islands, which I did not have the money to do.

Then, I picked up a small blackboard, wrote “Virgin Airlines. $29.” on it, and went over to the group of people who had been on the flight that was cancelled. I sold tickets for the rest of the seats on the plane, used their money to pay for the chartered plane, and we all went to the Virgin Islands that night.

I took this photo right after he told that story. A few moments later I stood shoulder–to–shoulder with him (he’s about six feet tall) and thanked him for sharing some time with us.

The Habits of Successful People: What Makes the Difference?

After speaking with our group, Branson sat on a panel with industry experts to talk about the future of business. As everyone around him was filling the air with business buzzwords and talking about complex ideas for mapping out our future, Branson was saying things like: “Screw it, just get on and do it.” Which was closely followed by: “Why can’t we mine asteroids?”

As I looked up at that panel, I realized that the person who sounded the most simplistic was also the only one who was a billionaire. Which prompted me to wonder, “What’s the difference between Branson and everyone else in the room?”

Here’s what I think makes all the difference:

Branson doesn’t merely say things like, “Screw it, just get on and do it.” He actually lives his life that way. He drops out of school and starts a business. He signs the Sex Pistols to his record label when everyone else says they are too controversial. He charters a plane when he doesn’t have the money.

When everyone else balks or comes up with a good reason for why the time isn’t right, Branson gets started.

Start Now

Branson is an extreme example, but we could all learn something from his approach.

If you want to summarize the habits of successful people into one phrase, it’s this: successful people start before they feel ready.

If there was ever someone who embodied the idea of starting before they felt ready to do so, it’s Branson. The very name of his business empire, Virgin, was chosen because when Branson and his partners started they were “virgins” when it came to business.

Branson has started so many businesses, ventures, charities, and expeditions that it’s simply not possible for him to have felt prepared, qualified, and ready to start all of them. In fact, it’s unlikely that he was qualified or prepared to start any of them. He had never flown a plane and didn’t know anything about the engineering of planes, but he started an airline company anyway.

If you’re working on something important, then you’ll never feel ready. A side effect of doing challenging work is that you’re pulled by excitement and pushed by confusion at the same time.

You’re bound to feel uncertain, unprepared, and unqualified. But let me assure you of this: what you have right now is enough. You can plan, delay, and revise all you want, but trust me, what you have now is enough to start.

It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to start a business, lose weight, write a book, or achieve any number of goals… who you are, what you have, and what you know right now is good enough to get going.

We all start in the same place: no money, no resources, no contacts, no experience. The difference is that some people — the winners — choose to start anyway.

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James Clear writes at JamesClear.com, where he uses behavior science to help you master your habits and improve your health. For useful ideas on improving your mental and physical performance, join his free newsletter.

Thanks for sharing your experience and Branson’s story. I noticed something at an event I attended last Saturday. The room was covered in suit and tie MBAs and alumni, with a few sprinkles of entrepreneurs. They had “ideas,” complex terminologies, and the education to match.

However, you can almost tell that there was a lack of that “Okay, now we make it happen.” It was almost like they had all the blueprints and the eloquent words to make it sound like something awesome was going to happen, but be around people like that long enough then you realize things rarely get done. That’s not always the case of course, but it’s certainly common.

Hitting start even when your body and mind are both still trembling is better than never starting at all.

So True. I can’t count how many meetings I have been in at work where we discuss many ideas to get better. And then nothing happens. Same old stuff because the “educated businessmen” in the executive suite won’t approve the ideas.

This is disappointing. I thought that was just a Midwest thing (and is probably my #1 reason for wanting to move). Never really saw that happen much on the coasts. That’s one of my largest frustrations – listening to people talk about what to do and then doing nothing. 🙁

Violetta L Wong

A lot of people in this world get vision but lack courage to start. They might be afraid of uncertainties in the future.

Fear is a powerful motivator to either do something or do nothing. Most fall into the later. Once you identify what the fear is and how it is part of your core belief structure, you can change and be one of the many that face their fear.

Dude, I’m from Lahore, Pakistan and you can see people who talk the talk but are not walking the walk! The grass may seem greener on the other side, but it’s still grass, subject to seasons, the weather and the number of people that walk on it every day! 🙂
“Screw it and just do it man!”

Aytrea

i am from india, we boast of a democracy, smart civil servants ( who have cracked one of the toughest exams on earth)…but nothing happens…there are detailed plans, and plans of how to execute those plans…all we do is make infinite plans, schemes and proposals…after that everyone forgets about working on the plan..same story everywhere man..humans are similar everywhere

Yikes, let’s all have some coffee over this one day :-). I believe this is why many in the startup community advocate for some of the principles behind Lean Startup et al, regardless if one is technically a startup or not. It’s not uncommon to hear a story about a new company that couldn’t move fast enough to outfox their competition, or to hear about another that spent months building something that nobody really wanted.

This was a great post for me to read – I’m an underpants gnome, (South Park) as in I plan the heck out of everything but never know when to stop planning and so I don’t actually do it.

This gives me some motivation.

Peter B. Williams

Great post as usual James. Similar messages are promoted by other prolific entrepreneurs Seth Godin (start shipping your product) and Derek Sivers (start with version 0.1). In hindsight it all looks planned, but the best startup stories evolve in real time.

Jen McGahan

This is great, James! So true. As a writer, I’m not much on public speaking, but this past year I’ve decided to just stand up and start. I’m sort of miserably dragging myself through. Just last night, I wasn’t exactly prepared to make some comments before the city council, but decided to go ahead. The funny thing about it (in hindsight only) was instead of speaking to the crowd in the room, I discovered as I approached the mic that you have to face the council with the audience behind you! Ugh. The council’s apparently not allowed to react, neither with facial expressions nor nodding, so the experience, I can tell you, was unpleasant.

When you do something uncomfortable, you ALWAYS learn more than you bargained for! Gotta just roll with it.

Hazza Jay

Inspiring to hear that you jumped right into public speaking. Good on you! I wouldn’t be able to do that. But, because of you…maybe I might. What have you learnt about public speaking that you didn’t know before?

Jen McGahan

Hazza Jay, thank you. Off the top of my head: Don’t plan to say specific words, but just to focus on getting the main message out. Be loose and a little vulnerable and pray for a surprise moment between you and audience (one you didn’t plan because then you will be connected with them)…and…Exhaling is waaay better than breathing in! 🙂

Nancie

Thanks James…I needed the encouragement! Great post!

THE BLONDY

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I AM VERY GENTLEMAN WITH ITALY

Shelley Hood

Great post. It’s all about a focus on the goal. Don’t plan the journey just start walking towards it!

Sylvain Gauchet

Thanks for sharing, great post. I disagree with “We all start in the same place: no money, no resources, no contacts, no experience.”, though. This is just not true, but I do get the point you were trying to make.

Sarah Jocson

This can give an individual a sense of where he/she presently is in their life to pursue their goals.

Love this post James. Inspires one. I bumped into Sir Branson once in London, quite literally as we went through the entrance of a restaurant. Exchanged a few friendly sentences with a handshake and off we went. Felt like he empowered me just by that little meeting and you sat next to him 😉 Nice.

Tim Ludy

Wow, the story of Branson creating his airlines is amazing, thanks for sharing James!
I’ve noticed even after starting a business many owners are hesitant to try new things or change something. They can take the same advice for jumping into a new social network or trying out a new software.

Your article has given me some really inspirational stuff. I’m not 16 but my age is 18 and I’ve wasted a lot of time on blogging and website but couldn’t get anything 🙁 Your example are awesome. I would like to add the example of Thomas Edision the inverntor of bulb. His teachers used to say him when i was child that he is able to learn but he proved himself that what he is .. 🙂 I know this example doesn’t make any sense with your examples but I felt like sharing it 🙂

Wow! Such an inspirational story. Thanks for sharing Branson’s story. You are right, people have to Start that Up! Why wait? Do it!

rory

Enjoyed your post and Totally agree with regard to starting a business or a venture but not sure if it applies to the next steps …making sales. I haven’t done a lot of sales [but hope to start] …does the theory apply to …making sales without product being ready or without having your sales presentation ready or your responses ready for questions on your sales presentation/or pitch.

I’m open to being convinced it does apply if examples can be given.

CJ

Bill Gates sold DOS before it was ready; I think he sold it before he even owned it. Not sure if that fits the example you’re looking for, but it’s what came to mind.

Sam Stroup

That’s one of the best scenes in the movie, ‘The Pirates of Silicon Valley’ – Steve Ballmer said, ‘not only did we not own DOS, we didn’t even know where we could get it!’.

Tamarray Cain

I love this. It motivated me…I appreciate you sharing!

webclickusa

Great inspirational article. Thank you.

Earl Brown

My motto: “Ready, fire, aim”

Elise

I was stuck in that mode too. Guilty as charged. It went like this….”I’ll start as soon as I get (insert excuse)”. “As soon as the (economy, health, bank account, weather, etc) get’s a little better, then we’ll kick it off”. “We need to have (insert guru that YOU put on a pedestal) because he has the experience and contacts”. “We need to get the (business plan, goals, financing, personnel, lease, etc) first before anything happens.”
Winners live life. Wanna-be winners keep preparing, as life passes them by.

Marc Itzler

Highly recommend reading RB’s bio, “Screw it, let’s do it.” He has been my mentor for 30 years, and not just because of his financial success but also because of his ethics and values.

Roman Solomatin

Why don’t you have print-view?

Aljoscha Laschgari

I love Branson’s story! It’s very inspiring!

Uzowulu Isaac

Good start Sir Richard Branson!
This article is really interesting and it will better for people who are still waiting for every thing to completed before they start something to read carefully the articles.
You have just drop something into me now, i think i also have hope to develop my ideas irrespective of what is available or not.
Thanks.

Ronald Jean-Toussaint

Very interesting, the best experience come from feedback and testing yourself what can YOU DO!
I have also noticed every successfull entrepreneur have a very simplistic term to explain how they do what they do, yet their simplicity is the hardest thing in the world to reach ! 🙂

nouri

Thanks a lot for sharing

Violetta L Wong

This is the article I need now to get courage from. Thanks. Let’s see what and how I will do this year, then I will come back to you how “Every moment is the right time to start” will influence me. I am always overthink, which makes me procrastinate a lot because I am a perfectionist. Not only Mr Branson, a lot of successful figures made the same advice: you don’t need to be perfect to start with. The most important thing is to ACTUALLY .START

I love this vital point ‘We all start in the same place: no money, no resources, no contacts, no
experience. The difference is that some people — the winners — choose to
start anyway.’

Fear of failure has always being my problem. I DON’T WANT TO FAIL! THAT IS STUPID!!!

Lori

Nice. Thank you. Lol and for the first time I can actually relate to something abou Richard . I can relate to the “just get on with it” approach. Never mind the planning and analyzing and scrutinizing, just get eh done. We will deal with the what ifs and maybe’s should they possibly come along. Thank you for the article, it was funny.

Elmarie Porthouse

This is really the right article at the right time for me. I have been working on a project that will take my business to a whole new level but suddenly started doubting myself. After reading what you wrote, I know I have to get back to it. Thanks for the motivation!

@edgarabanil

This is something against our usual paradigm: start when ready. Truly enlightening.

Before I became an entrepreneur, I went to business school. While studying for my MBA, there was one lesson that I learned which has proved to be useful over and over again in my life. I was sitting in a marketing class and we were discussing ways to design a wonderful customer experience. The goal […]